This invention relates to the projection system of a microfiche reader. Typically such systems have the bulb projecting light horizontally through a condensing lens and mirror arrangement to project the light upwardly through a fiche in a carrier. The objective lens is positioned above the carrier and is focused to obtain a sharp image on the screen. The image is reflected by one or two mirrors onto a front projection screen or a rear projection screen. This invention positions the first mirror just above the objective lens. In the part this arrangement made lens removal difficult and frequently required removal of the first mirror to get at the lens. Focusing the lens involves rotating the lens in a sleeve and that arrangement requires a number of parts and is somewhat costly. The lens should be centered with respect to the optical axis but in prior designs this has been ignored or achieved by cumbersome means. The first mirror should be precisely located to properly center the image without allowing an appreciable "margin" to accomodate misalignment. Those prior designs which did have means for rapidly shifting from one to another lens depending on the magnification desired employed a design which was costly and difficult to service.